Since being co-created by staff and residents in Parkdale Care Home in Auchterarder to encourage more indoor and outdoor walking activities several residents have reported:
- Weight loss
- Withdrawal of some medications
- Increased confidence
- New social connections
- Increased mobility
- A greater sense of purpose
- Moving and walking more
Our partnership work with Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership, Live Active Leisure, residents and staff from Parkdale Care Home in Auchterarder resulted in the Care About Walking Resource Pack receiving a Silver nomination from Perth and Kinross Council’s DESIGNing Futures Together award.
Watch a film about the impact walking activities is having in Parkdale Care Home.
The resource pack supports care home residents to walk more by increasing awareness of the benefits of walking and using goal setting and activity tracking to record progress.
The resource pack contains:
1. A guidance note for care home staff
2. An information booklet for residents and family members about the health benefits of walking and how to get started
3. A set of posters with different designs and messages to promote walking around the care home
4. An A3 wall chart to allow residents to set goals, track when and where they have walked and log the number of steps walked using a pedometer, accelerometer or fitness tracker.
Walking activities can be tailored to each resident’s needs, for example:
- Organising led Health Walks, or bench to bench walks, corridor walks and walking around the garden
- Encouraging family members to take residents out for a walk on their visits
- Bingo, scavenger, nature or heritage walks to get residents spotting birds, flowers and landmarks
- Performing strength and balance exercises when walking.
Download the pack for free from Paths for All’s website at www.pathsforall.org.uk/care-about-walking
Paths for All’s Dementia Friendly Walking Project is supported by The Life Changes Trust, The National Lottery Community Fund, William Grant Foundation, The Robertson Trust, Spirit of 2012, sportscotland and the Scottish Government.